1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for producing a cycloalkanol and/or a cycloalkanone by oxidizing cycloalkane with molecular oxygen.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known that a cycloalkane can be oxidized with molecular oxygen using an oxide of a transition metal as a catalyst. For instance, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-310601 discloses that the above-mentioned oxidation is conducted in the coexistence of an aldehyde and a transition metal oxide containing manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, ruthenium, or osmium as its transition metal element. In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-28909 discloses that the above-mentioned oxidation is conducted in the coexistence of an N-hydroxy cyclic imide and a transition metal oxide containing samarium, titanium, chromium, manganese, iron, ruthenium, cobalt, rhodium, or copper as its transition metal element.
In the former method, an aldehyde to be used therein is oxidized to produce the corresponding carboxylic acid as by-product. Therefore, the separation and recovery step of the product after the reaction is complicated, thereby leading to be unsatisfactory in terms of cost. Also, in the latter method, an N-hydroxy cyclic imide to be used therein easily decomposes during the reaction. Therefore, the method is also unsatisfactory from the viewpoint of operationality and cost.